Abstandsflächen in Saarland
In Saarland the depth of the setback area is 0.4 H, at least 3. m. The governing provision is § 7, § 8 LBO. H is the wall height from ground level to the point where the wall meets the roof surface.
As of 08/2026
The dimensions
What § 7, § 8 LBO requires
| Standard factor | 0.4 H |
|---|---|
| Minimum depth | 3. m |
| Commercial and industrial zones | 0.2 H – § 8 Abs. 1 lässt bei Wänden ohne Öffnungen 1,50 m bzw. 2,50 m zu |
| Central area | in Kerngebieten steht es im Ermessen der Behörde, weniger als 0,4 H zu gestatten |
| Roof allowance | Dachflächen über 70° Neigung werden voll auf H angerechnet, Dachflächen über 45° zu einem Drittel. Das ist die Formel, die Ratgeber meist für ganz Deutschland behaupten – sie gilt in vier Ländern. Giebelflächen werden nach der Summe der Dachneigungen beurteilt (Schwelle 140°). |
| Special rule for residential buildings | 3 m genügen für Wohngebäude der Gebäudeklassen 1 und 2 mit höchstens drei oberirdischen Geschossen. |
Work it out yourself
Calculating Abstandsflächen in Saarland
Set eaves height, roof pitch, building depth and distance to the boundary — the required depth is calculated under § 7, § 8 LBO as you go. The roof allowance is what stands out: the same building yields different values of H across the 16 states.
Under § 7, § 8 LBO
The setback area lies entirely on the plot. 3.00 m are required, 3.00 m are kept.
A symmetrical gable roof and level ground are assumed. The figure is geometric, not a statement about permissibility: a local by-law, a development plan or a building encumbrance can set different dimensions.
On your own plot
Plan your project right on the cadastral map
Click a parcel in Saarland and, under “What can I build here?”, draw an extension, garage, carport, garden shed or pool. Move, rotate, change the dimensions – the setback areas are checked live against the real parcel boundaries.
Then
Calculated is not drawn
The figure above is half the job. The setback area is drawn into the Site plan for a building application – true to scale, with parcel boundaries and the neighbouring buildings. You will find the boundaries free of charge in the Cadastral map; the true-to-scale surroundings as a vector file are in the catalogue for Saarland.
Worked through
Worked examples at a glance
Depth = 0.4 × H, but never less than 3. m. These values apply to a wall in the standard case; commercial zones, core zones and privileged boundary structures follow the figures above and below.
| Wall height H | Calculation | Depth of the setback area |
|---|---|---|
| 3. m | 0.4 × 3. = 1.2 m → minimum applies | 3. m |
| 4.5 m | 0.4 × 4.5 = 1.8 m → minimum applies | 3. m |
| 6.5 m | 0.4 × 6.5 = 2.6 m → minimum applies | 3. m |
| 9. m | 0.4 × 9. = 3.6 m | 3.6 m |
| 12. m | 0.4 × 12. = 4.8 m | 4.8 m |
Building on the boundary
What may stand on the boundary in Saarland without a setback area
Garages, carports and garden sheds may stand directly on the property boundary under narrow conditions. The dimensions differ in every state.
| Height | 3. m |
|---|---|
| Length per boundary | 12. m |
| Total length along all boundaries | 15. m |
| Additional conditions | grenzseitige mittlere Wandhöhe, Firsthöhe höchstens 4 m. Dachneigung höchstens 45°, keine Dachgauben. Für Nebengebäude und Gewächshäuser gilt zusätzlich eine Grenze von 30 m³ Brutto-Rauminhalt – für Garagen nicht. Nicht direkt an der Grenze: mindestens 1 m Abstand. Carports gelten nach § 2 Abs. 9 als Garagen. |
| Habitable rooms and fireplaces | Nutzung auf Abstellen und Lagern begrenzt; explosions- und brandgefährliche Stoffe ausgeschlossen |
In comparison
What is different in Saarland
Neben Rheinland-Pfalz das zweite Land mit 12 m je Grenze – aber zugleich mit einer Firsthöhengrenze von 4 m und einem Gaubenverbot, die es andernorts nicht gibt.
On the roof allowance: Dachflächen über 70° Neigung werden voll auf H angerechnet, Dachflächen über 45° zu einem Drittel. Das ist die Formel, die Ratgeber meist für ganz Deutschland behaupten – sie gilt in vier Ländern. This system is shared by 4 of the 16 states. The formula that guides usually claim applies across Germany — "over 70° in full, over 45° one third" — applies in only four.
All 16 states compared →Limits of this information
What this page does not answer
These figures reproduce the state building code. A local by-law, a development plan or a registered building encumbrance can set different dimensions — and there is no nationwide register of such by-laws. Only the building authority's own information is binding.
Also not covered: provisions in the development plan, registered building encumbrances, the duty of mutual consideration between neighbours, fire-safety distances, and whether a project is exempt from a permit.
And the most common error: exempt from a permit does not mean exempt from setbacks. A carport that needs no building application must still keep the setback areas.
Legal reference
Read the original
Landesbauordnung Saarland, § 7, § 8 LBO. Last amended: Gesetz Nr. 2178 vom 27.08.2025, in Kraft 15.10.2025.
LBO Saarland, Stand 27.08.2025 (bereinigte Lesefassung (PDF))
Other states
Setback areas and boundary building elsewhere
- Baden-Württemberg 0.4 H · 2.5 m
- Bayern 0.4 H · 3. m
- Berlin 0.4 H · 3. m
- Brandenburg 0.4 H · 3. m
- Bremen 0.4 H · 3. m
- Hamburg 0.4 H · 2.5 m
- Hessen 0.4 H · 2.5 m
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 0.4 H · 3. m
- Niedersachsen 0.4 H · 3. m
- Nordrhein-Westfalen 0.4 H · 3. m
- Rheinland-Pfalz 0.4 H · 3. m
- Sachsen 0.4 H · 3. m
- Sachsen-Anhalt 0.4 H · 3. m
- Schleswig-Holstein 0.4 H · 3. m
- Thüringen 0.4 H · 3. m